The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones

I’m late to the game on this (thanks to my day job) and you’ve probably already seen this. The Nest Thermostat looks stunning. Not too shabby at $249 as far as high-end thermostats go. We already have one of those fancy pants programmable thermostats, but it’s nothing like this one. Nothing!

We were looking for something new to watch on the Netflix and found Breaking Bad. I have been hearing the buzz (sorry) on Twitter and the Web for a while about how addictive this show is (so sorry).

Breaking Bad is definitely a hit (so sorry, I swear I won’t do it again).

The story’s originality, however disturbing, keeps it interesting. The intensity of the relationships developed among the characters keeps us coming back for more. The bizarre kinship between Walter White and Jesse Pinkman–two who couldn’t be more different–is irresistible.

We’re catching up on the backlog of episodes and catching up to real time. When that’s finished, we’re going to go into withdrawals until the next season (listen, I’m sorry OK? I can’t help it! It’s an addiction!).

John Prine’s had a consistent amount of recorded output over his four-decade long career. But he had to get a start somewhere, and his new album, The Singing Mailman Delivers, celebrates that beginning. The album gets its title from Prine’s pre-music job as a mailman, where he would brainstorm ideas for songs.

A couple of months ago, an eye doctor diagnosed me as slightly nearsighted with a slight astigmatism in one eye before handing over a prescription for eyeglasses. A few days later, I picked up my first pair of glasses and my life changed.

I had no idea what I was missing.

My eyesight used to be nearly perfect. I ferrying a group of friends to a movie when I was younger and reading the movie marquee en route to the theater. We were still nearly a mile away and they thought I was making it up. They were shocked when we got there and discovered I was *actually* reading the sign.

My vision has steadily and gradually declined over the years and I never gave it much thought. Who needs to read a movie sign from a mile away anyhow? It’s not like I’m training to be a sniper or something (and even they have scopes to home in on their target). But the amount of time I spend in front of a computer screen at work and play was taking its toll. I would get tired, then the headaches would come and I would get grouchy.

The first time I put my glasses on was like the first time I rode steady on a bicycle without training wheels. I was popping optical wheelies! I was visually bunnyhopping over curbs! I should have gone to the eye doctor years ago.

Not only that, but it’s divided and come back together like amoeba or a healing wound. At one point, I thought I would create a blog for each topic that interested me. Macs and producitivity, design, and several others. I felt like I had to write in a different voice for each audience. It was maddening and mentally exhausting so I narrowed it down to the two that exist today, which is this Carrying Stones site you are reading now and a Tumblr blog cleverly named Terrazzo.

Terrazzo: a mosaic flooring consisting of small pieces of marble or granite set in mortar and given a high polish

My idea was to publish my original writing on this site and post links to things I find interesting on the Tumblr blog. Get it? Small stones? My I am clever. Anyway…

With a few days off work I have been writing and thinking about how I want this site to function. I have decided there can be only one! I’ll leave Terrazzo hanging out there like a vestigial tail, but all posts are going to land here at Carrying Stones.

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About the author

I am a writer passing time in my native northwest Georgia who has learned about life from restaurant kitchens, hospital shipping docks and my many, many mistakes. I hope to overcome my fear of heights and move to a house on the mountain where I can enjoy the view. Email Eric.